Cat 'N Mouse

by Yvonne Harriott

  “Thank you.” She took the cup from him. After a mouth full, she screwed up her face.

  “Too strong?” He already knew that. She’d complained about that before.

  “You should patent this stuff and sell it as paint remover.” She dumped it down the sink, opened the fridge and grabbed the carton of orange juice. “Robyn wants us to pick up a package for her. I think it’s the sample design of the program for the gala. What do you think?”

  It was all about being polite this morning. She’d stepped away from the drama of yesterday and their lovemaking. Quite frankly, he didn’t know what to think about it. The spoiled Princess was gone. She was all grown up today. Her rite of passage came when she’d laid him out flat on his backside.

  “I’d rather not. It’s better if we stick to the plan today, the Foundation and the hotel. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. As a matter of fact, I’d rather not gallivant around town.”

  “The gala is a few days away and what I need to do can’t be done here.”

  “Fine, but we do it my way.”

  He braced himself for the fight to follow along with the list of demands that always came when she didn’t get her way. Compromise was not a word she was familiar with.

  “Your way it is.” Opening the cupboard, she retrieved a glass and poured herself some orange juice.

  “Say that again. I think I need to get my hearing checked.”

  “No need to be sarcastic. So…any thoughts?” She sipped her juice looking at the files he had on the counter. “On who the stalker is.”

  Hopeful brown eyes with a trace of fear held his. He didn’t want to disappoint her, but he had to. What he had were a lot of speculations that if voiced, would only cause her more hurt. He wasn’t about to do that just yet. What he needed was proof.

  “No.” Sam closed the files. “Ready to go?”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Sam said you came in here, why?”

  Alexandria turned her head toward the door when Robyn entered Tiana’s room. She’d snuck in after her arrival half an hour ago, or so she’d thought. Perhaps Sam had allowed her to think that by giving her the space she needed.

  The room was all clear of Tiana’s things in preparation for another little patient, a four year old who Robyn believed she would love. She wasn’t ready to replace Tiana yet.

  It was hard to believe Tiana was gone. The funeral was closed to outsiders, just family and close friends. Alexandria was not invited. The little girl held a special place in her heart and she wasn’t allowed to say goodbye.

  How could she be mad at Tiana’s father? The poor man was trying to grieve in private. Being anywhere near the family, especially with the latest front-page story wouldn’t have accomplished that.

  “Why are you hiding?”

  Robyn pulled the chair by the door and set it next to Alexandria’s chair in front of the bed. Her eyes fell on the newspaper on the bed. Someone had left it on Alexandria’s desk in the cubical she used.

  “When have you ever known me to hide from them?” She nodded at the paper. “It was a special delivery. Someone left it on my desk. I guess it doesn’t matter.”

  But it did matter. The Foundation was her sanctuary and if that was invaded then where would she hide?

  Perhaps you should stop hiding.

  “Tiana’s funeral is this afternoon.”

  “I understand Mr. Robinson’s rational behind not wanting you there, but that’s not what Tiana would’ve wanted,” Robyn said with a frown. “That little girl loved you.”

  “We rarely get what we want in life.” Alexandria thought about Sam during the drive to the Foundation. They were polite strangers. It was as if they had never slept together.

  “I worry about you. Sam told me about what happened yesterday.”

  Robyn reached out and took Alexandria’s hand. She looked down at their clasped hands. Robyn’s hand was a shade darker, strong, nails bluntly cut while her own nails were perfectly manicured, her hands smooth, without scars.

  “I’m not the only one worried. Sam is too. You shouldn’t be in here.”

  She remembered the way Sam had held her, kissed her and touched her. If she closed her eyes she could smell him. It would never happen again. He was so professional and courteous she was choking on it.

  “Ahh, my bodyguard. We’re joined at the hip.”

  “He’s doing his job.”

  “Oh, he’s certainly doing that.”

  They had picked up a tail on the drive in to the Foundation and he’d skillfully maneuvered around so that he ended up behind the man following them and got his license plate. He called Matt before the man sped off. Matt had called him back a few minutes later to tell him the car was stolen. It was a tag-team effort with him and Matt. All business.

  “You sound bitter.”

  “Do I?” She looked at Robyn, her pink blouse bright against her white lab coat.

  “Why do you do it? It’s like you live this double life. Then you hide out here waiting until the dust settles, and then you’re back at it again.”

  “All I can tell you is that when I’m here I feel safe. I don’t have to pretend. I’m not just Warren Prescott’s daughter. What I do here matters. It’s important.”

  “No one knows that more than I do. You need to chose one life and live it.”

  “One Life to Live. Isn’t that a soap opera?”

  “You’re not a character in a soap opera.”

  “But I could be.”

  Robyn frowned. “All I want is for you to be happy and find someone that makes you happy.” Robyn glanced at the paper on the bed.

  “I met Damien for a drink yesterday and as you can see, it made headline news,” Alexandria said addressing Robyn’s curious glance.

  “Oh.”

  Buried in that, ‘oh’ was the look of, ‘do you have rocks for brains’ but Robyn was too nice to say that. She had the look down pat.

  “May I ask why?” She asked, very prim and proper like.

  “Because he understands my life and the craziness that comes with it.”

  “And the money,” Robyn added.

  “Not everyone wants my money.” She hadn’t meant to sound defensive, but that’s exactly how it came out.

  “By everyone, you mean Sam.”

  “We’re from two different worlds,” Alexandria said shaking her head.

  All of a sudden she felt tired and something else snuck upon her. She was lonely. She wasn’t one to require company unless she wanted it. The company she’d craved in the past, she didn’t need anymore. Stability and calm, that’s what she wanted now. It occurred to he that she may never get that because a madman wants to end her life.

  “Is that what Sam told you?” Robyn asked.

  “More or less.”

  “Maybe when this is over….” Robyn let her voice trail off with hope, being the romantic she was. “Sam seems really nice.”

  “As nice as he is, first and foremost, the stalker needs to be stopped and he doesn’t have a clue who it is.”

  “That’s not the impression I got when I overheard him on the phone earlier.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t believe it.” Robyn started a conversation with herself. “How could I have missed it? It was right there in front of me like a beacon and I never saw it. But Dennis knew. He called it. I should’ve known. The night after the dinner…”

  “You need to stop.”

  Alexandria knew what Robyn was talking about, but she wasn’t going to go there. Didn’t want to. She thought she had hidden it well, but somehow Robyn had seen through it, or rather Dennis had.

  “You’re in love with Sam. Not the Damien type love. It’s grown up love. Look at you. You’re a totally different person. You really do love him.”

  “Why don’t you take out an ad in the paper?”

  Ignoring her sarcasm, Robyn asked, “Have you told Sam?”

  “Tell me what?”


  • • •

  Sam wasn’t sure what he’d walked into, but the look on Alexandria’s face said it all. It landed somewhere between shock and embarrassment. All conversation ceased. Robyn stared at him as if she knew something he didn’t, and Alexandria’s eyes shifted nervously to her lap.

  “It’s time to head over to the hotel. We should keep on schedule.” Sam pointed at his watch. He figured he should say something to break the awkward silence.

  “Let me get my purse,” Alexandria said and rushed out of the room as if someone had started a fire.

  “Did I interrupt something?”

  “In a word.”

  Robyn had a way of looking at him as if she was trying to figure him out as though he were some kind of puzzle. That look of ‘I know something you don’t’ was still on her face. And she probably did, because he definitely walked into something a few minutes ago. He just wasn’t sure what, but he wasn’t about to hang around to find out.

  Yeah, call him chicken or yellow, he didn’t care. If they were talking about him, he would bet money on it that it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. He wanted no part of it.

  “She’s going across the hall and will be back in a minute.”

  “I’ll feel better if—”

  “I thought you were different.” Robyn met him at the door.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, you’re excused.”

  Robyn stared at him stone faced. Sam felt as though he was about to be blind-sided, and he didn’t like it one bit. She had something to say and since he was on the clock, he wanted her to get it over with.

  “Shall we back up to the point when I entered the room because obviously I missed something.” Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t enlighten him. “This is the point where you fill me in,” Sam said.

  He stood his ground and it appeared she wasn’t about to back down either, giving him the head-to-toe look. Her pager went off. She pulled the device from her lab coat and glanced at it. It clearly wasn’t important because she shoved it back in her pocket, focusing her attention on him once again.

  “I didn’t expect you to judge Alexandria.” Robyn nodded toward the newspaper on the bed. “She needs you, not someone to tear her down like those sharks that call themselves reporters.”

  “I’m not here to judge. I’m here to protect her. Nothing else.”

  “Nothing else? I’d give that some more thought if I were you,” she stuck her forefinger in his face, “because I think you’re lying.”

  And just like that, she called him out.

  • • •

  The next two days were a whirlwind of activities for Alexandria and Sam with the count down to the Foundation’s gala. Their relationship was strictly professional. They spoke of schedules and security details only. When they weren’t talking about business, they retired to their own corners, their bedroom.

  Sexual tension hung in the air, buzzing around them like a bee circling a flower. They both pretended it didn’t exist. As long as they focused on work everything was fine. Yeah, right.

  Sam wanted to change the venue for the gala, but Alexandria wouldn’t hear of it. They couldn’t get another site in such a short period of time was her argument. Plus it didn’t hurt that the hotel had thrown in a complimentary two nights’ accommodation as a result of the incident in the washroom. Both of them in the same hotel room, one bed, God help him. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

  Since changing the venue was not possible, they were joined at the hip. She didn’t go anywhere without him, and that included the meeting with the executive chef at the hotel to sample the meals to be served at the function.

  They decided on seared halibut with chanterelle mushrooms for the main course. She had asked his opinion and he had to admit, it wasn’t bad for something he’d never heard of. Who would have thought someone would actually sit down and name a mushroom?

  The meeting with the event consultant on the third floor was next on the agenda to discuss the floral arrangements because you couldn’t just put any kind of ordinary flowers on the table. It was a themed event and therefore everything should coordinate. He wanted to make a crack about it but kept his mouth shut. The gala preparation had taken Alexandria’s mind off the stalker and everything else that was going on in her life.

  She came alive describing to the event consultant what she wanted. Sam was blown away when she took out sketches of designs which she laid out in front of the consultant. Sketches that he had seen her with at the breakfast table earlier that morning but she had put them face down when he’d walked into the kitchen. She’d done them. He wanted to tell her they were good, but she’d packed them up quickly and had disappeared into her bedroom.

  After the menu was finalized and the flower arrangements were chosen for the festivities, she announced that he needed to get a tuxedo.

  “Wait a minute…”

  “It’s a charity event. So far since you’ve moved into my apartment, the only clothing I’ve seen you in is black T-shirts and jeans. The only jacket you’ve been sporting is this tanned one.” She tugged at the lapel. “As nice as it looks on you,” she did that neck thing again…the bobbing up and down motion, “you need a tuxedo.”

  She shook hands with the consultant when she returned with the final quote, thanked her for her help. Sam stood there like a fish out of water. A tuxedo? He’d never had the occasion to wear one. Where would he find one on such short notice?

  “Now that you’ve wrapped your mind around wearing a tuxedo, shall we get you fitted?”

  “About this tuxedo business—”

  “It’s business, therefore the cost is not your concern. I’ve already made the appointment. Please do not give me any grief over this.”

  “You’ll get no grief from me as long as you let me pay for the rental.”

  This was her area of expertise. She knew where to go and what to do. What was the point in fighting it? One way or the other he would be wearing a penguin suit and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous of Florida’s elite. He couldn’t wait.

  “Where to now?” Sam asked when they got back to the SUV and he sat waiting for her to put her sketches away on the backseat.

  He pulled away from the hotel and headed east on Central Park Drive and spotted the black Honda again. The same stolen vehicle that had followed them earlier was two cars behind them. This time he was not getting away—enough of this cat and mouse game.

  “Daddy’s tailor is not far from here. He rents tuxedos. Unless you want to buy one?”

  “I don’t even want to rent one.” Sam glanced casually at the rearview mirror to see if they still had company. The Honda had dropped three cars behind.

  “Stop moaning. There it is. Pull over here.”

  Sam parked and followed Alexandria into a posh boutique called Eduardo’s. He made sure that she was settled with Eduardo, who seemed more than happy to ignore him, while they poured over the latest tuxedo trends in a catalogue at the back of the store.

  Eduardo and Alexandria were taking too long and Sam was getting agitated about the man in the Honda. How long does it take to choose a tuxedo? He didn’t want Alexandria to know about the Honda and wondered how he would get away for a few minutes. Then the opportunity dropped in his lap.

  “Stop pacing. You’re making the customers nervous,” Alexandria said, rolling her eyes at him.

  What customers? She and the man with the platinum blond ponytail and expensive suit wanted him out of the way.

  “Shoo. Go talk to the security guard. When we find something we’ll call you.” Eduardo shooed Sam away. That’s right—shooed. The man shooed him as if he were a fly or something.

  Laughing under his breath, Sam said, “I’ll be at the front.”

  He did a quick check, noting the two exits. One was at the back of the store and the other at the front entrance. He glanced quickly around the store before he snuck out. Except for an older gentleman looking at ties, and the security guard manning
the showcase of diamond cufflinks the place was empty. He figured he would only be gone ten minutes tops, and asked the guard to keep an eye on Alexandria.

  Sam ducked out of the store and saw the black Honda parked half a block up the street. He made his way along the side of the building and took off in a sprint at the back of Eduardo’s building, interrupting a cat eating out of a paper bag.

  He covered the length of the two buildings adjacent to the tuxedo shop, a spa, and a woman’s boutique in record time. Emerging between a high-end toy store and a café, he spotted the vehicle. The driver was on the phone with the window down. Sam sprinted toward the back of the car. When the sidewalk cleared briefly, he ducked down behind the trunk then came up on the driver side with his gun cocked, just as the man turned to face him.

  “Matt?”

  • • •

  Alexandria didn’t notice Sam’s departure from the store until she lifted her head out of the catalogue. If he didn’t want to get the tuxedo, all he had to do was say so. But he did say so, she told herself.

  She was about to tell Eduardo to forget about it when Sam entered the store, his face devoid of any emotions. She had seen him checking his rearview mirror while he was driving, but he hadn’t indicated that there was a problem. Perhaps there was.

  “Where did you go?”

  He had a bead of sweat across his forehead. He buttoned his jacket, looking around the store.

  “I forgot to put money in the parking meter. What have you decided for me to wear, sweetheart,” he asked, winking at her. Her heart actually skipped a beat.

  Alexandria had discovered somewhere along the way that she liked having him around, and not just as her bodyguard. Even liked it when he called her sweetheart. The sniping between them had also disappeared, leaving in its wake a subtle tension than ran through her body like an electric current when he was near her, like right now.

  They hadn’t fully talked about what had happened between them but figured that at some point it would be tackled. For now, that topic was still off limits until he was ready. What had evolved between them was a sort of friendship and even respect. Respect for the man himself and what he did.